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The Duke's Daughter Goes Her Own Way

Selection of The Crown Prince's Aides

Treat me to a Ko-Fi to give me more motivation!!!

*****

Members of the royal family did not, as a general rule, attend external educational institutions.

If an exception occurred, it was only when the individual expressed a particularly strong desire to do so.

And so, I requested to enroll in the Steinford Royal Academy, the most prestigious and highly competitive institution in the kingdom.

My reason was simple.

I wanted to experience student life alongside Elly.

When it came to the education of royalty—especially a crown prince or crown princess whose succession was already set in stone—the finest tutors in the realm were provided. Because there could be no bias in their principles, assertions, or ideology, the selection process for these teachers was conducted with extreme caution and rigor.

If one had already mastered that curriculum, there was no reason whatsoever to attend even the most renowned of schools.

Even so, I wanted to experience what it was like to share student life with Elly.

Once I reached adulthood at eighteen, my official duties as Crown Prince would increase far beyond their current scope. Not to mention the administrative work.

Even now, I could barely manage to squeeze in enough time to have tea with Elly, so free time would become even scarcer.

「Will you hear out my one and only selfish request?」 I asked Their Majesties.

I had expected them to hesitate, but to my utter surprise, my father simply gave me a remarkably casual approval: 「Do as you wish.」

Her Majesty the Queen offered a soft smile and added, 「This is your very first selfish request. Granting it is only natural for a parent, is it not?」

(Ah, so that was it.)

(I had never once made a personal request of Their Majesties 'as their son'...)

Feeling a touch guilty toward Their Majesties, who seemed somehow pleased, I gratefully accepted their warm generosity.

Of course, to Elly, this news would come completely out of the blue.

Granted, it was still years away.

Even if it was years away, I was already looking forward to it immensely.

In order to enjoy student life with Elly to my heart's content, I needed to make thorough preparations starting now.

***

To ensure an enjoyable academy life with Elly, I decided to clear up the lingering issues I had previously pushed aside.

At present, I had three individuals serving as my 'aides.'

An 'aide' is someone who stands beside me to lend support when I eventually ascend the throne and become King.

They are by no means meant to be sycophants hovering around me, showering me with flattery just to keep me in a good mood.

In the first place, being fawned over in such a manner only brings me discomfort.

Yet for some reason, there are quite a few people who misunderstand this point.

「Are you still not going to introduce us to your fiancée, Your Highness~?」

The one complaining as he dumped a thick stack of documents onto the desk in my office was Paul Nelson, the third son of the Nelson Company, the largest commercial enterprise in the kingdom.

He was two years older than me, currently sixteen.

He possessed his own unique economic theories, and while he undoubtedly would have achieved great success had he become president of the firm, I had dragged him into service because I wanted those brains put to work for the nation instead.

I felt a little guilty toward the Nelson Company, but both their eldest and second sons were exceptionally talented. Surely they could forgive me for borrowing just one of them.

「Just wait a little longer. Once my roster of 'aides' is officially finalized, I will introduce her to you then.」

「...So he says. Why don't you stop wasting your breath and get back to work?」

The one speaking in an exasperated voice was Leonard Ernest, the second son of Marquis Ernest. He was one year younger than me—the typical age bracket for most noble children here.

Shut down sharply by Leonard, Paul muttered an exasperated 「Yeah, yeah...」 before returning to his assigned tasks.

Leonard was someone entrusted to me by Marquis Ernest.

According to the Marquis, 'He will surely become Your Highness's right-hand man.'

As matters stood, however, he lacked the weight of even a single arm.

He seemed to firmly believe he was destined to become my aide.

—I wonder about that.

***

In early spring, a change of leadership took place within the Aristoll Ducal House.

Speaking of the Aristoll Ducal House, they were the premier ducal family of our nation and the household of the drill-haired young lady who had nearly ruined Elly's very first tea party.

The new head of the family was Robert Aristoll. As the eldest son of the former duke, the transition occurred after he turned eighteen and reached adulthood.

...I could no longer recall the drill-haired lady's name, but no matter.

Since Elly kept calling her 'Lady Drill Hairs,' no other name came to mind.

As for her father, the former duke, it was not as though he had passed away suddenly or taken to his deathbed. Well, officially it was announced as 'recuperating from illness.'

This former duke had submitted a petition to Her Majesty the Queen, protesting the judgment handed down to his daughter regarding the incident at the tea party.

He argued that the punishment was far too harsh for such a young girl...

When I heard about it, I was thoroughly appalled.

The one hosting that tea party had been Elly, who was even younger than Lady Drill Hairs. Furthermore, she had caused an unprecedented scandal by engaging in a fistfight at a royal tea party and subsequently earned the displeasure of Her Majesty the Queen.

To put it in Elly's terms, it was checkmate.

Naturally, his petition only succeeded in incurring Her Majesty's wrath even further.

Without so much as apologizing for his daughter's misdeeds, he complained despite the penalty being exceptionally lenient.

Was that truly how the so-called 'premier' ducal house ought to conduct itself?

I was in complete agreement.

The former Duke Aristoll was the very man who had continually filled Lady Drill Hairs's head with ideas like 'You alone are worthy of becoming the future Queen.'

Told this by her father—an absolute authority figure to a young child—and doted on and spoiled endlessly... the result was that disastrous spectacle. It was pathetic beyond belief.

Even before that, the Duke held an outrageously naive view of what a 'Queen' was.

In this kingdom, a 'Queen' was by no means a mere accessory to the King.

A 'Queen' is one who stands equal with the King.

She is meant to share the very same burdens loaded upon the King and walk beside him.

That is precisely why they are addressed with the same honorific title of 'Majesty' as the King.

To willingly go out of one's way to invite the displeasure of such a Queen...

It was stupid beyond words.

That was when the eldest son, Robert, came to the fore. He was sixteen at the time and enrolled at Steinford.

Alongside estate management, he had chosen to study law.

Inheriting a ducal house made studying estate management understandable. The issue was the law track.

At Steinford, law graduates frequently went on to work in the Royal Legal Bureau or serve as judges in courts across the realm. The current Minister of Justice was also a graduate of this department.

While legal knowledge would certainly not hurt when managing an estate, studying law at Steinford required a workload that left no room for doing it as a mere hobby.

In truth, Robert had been quietly biding his time for quite a long while.

The former duke doted obsessively on his daughter, reportedly paying no mind whatsoever to Robert—who seemed unlikely to form a connection with the royal family—or his younger brother.

Convinced that his daughter would undoubtedly become the Crown Princess, he spared no expense on Lady Drill Hairs, while leaving his two sons entirely to his wife.

For Robert, however, that proved to be a blessing in disguise.

A fool who committed disrespect against Her Majesty the Queen without even realizing it.

An idiot who deluded himself into believing the nonexistent premise that the premier ducal house stood on equal footing with the royal family.

Robert was able to maintain distance from such a father.

Furthermore, the Duchess was a remarkably intelligent woman.

She had reportedly told her sons to keep a close eye on their father.

(That man will inevitably ruin everything one day. When that time comes, you must protect yourselves.)

She was a magnificent woman with truly admirable fortitude.

Apparently, she had already given up on correcting her daughter.

Whenever the Duchess attempted to discipline her, Lady Drill Hairs would run crying to her father. The former duke would then validate his daughter and dismiss his wife.

After repeating this pattern for years, her love for her daughter had completely worn away.

As for her affection for her husband, that had withered to nothing within a year of their marriage.

...I felt a deep, heartfelt sympathy for the Duchess.

The Duchess hired carefully selected tutors for her sons.

If her sons requested further instruction, she sought out new teachers for them.

Where her husband showered their daughter with dresses and jewels, the Duchess bestowed her sons with knowledge.

And so, the sons of the ducal house quietly waited for their chance.

The day they could excise the former duke—the cancer rotting the Aristoll Ducal House from within.

Robert's reason for choosing the law track was specifically 'to legally remove his father.'

To begin with, the reason the Aristoll Ducal House held the title of premier house was due to the accomplishments of the head before last—Robert's grandfather.

When an epidemic spread across the kingdom over forty years ago, Robert's grandfather spent his personal fortune to develop a cure. Once completed, the medicine was distributed to clinics nationwide for practically next to nothing.

His selfless spirit touched the hearts of the people, earning him immense popular support.

To reward his dedication—since his rank was already at the pinnacle, making further promotion in noble rank impossible—the Crown designated his house as the first in precedence, making it the premier ducal house.

In other words, the former duke had done nothing.

He was merely a second-generation heir squandering his predecessor's legacy.

The moment the former duke made his blunder, they sprang into action.

First, they made the duke confront the gravity of his mistake, confronted him with the minor embezzlements he had committed, and presented the exorbitant sums he had squandered on Lady Drill Hairs.

'If you remain in this position, our savings will eventually be depleted. We will also suffer constant slander as the family of one who incurred Her Majesty's displeasure... Do you still insist on clinging to that seat?'

Cornered like this, the former duke's transfer to the family territory was successfully finalized.

As for Lady Drill Hairs, she herself had insisted, 「I shall go with you, Father,」 so they granted her wish.

In the months since, letters demanding 'I want to return to the mansion in the royal capital' had reportedly been arriving continuously, but Robert was suppressing every single one of them.

Until Robert reached adulthood, the Duchess stood at the forefront as acting duke.

Then, the moment he came of age, he succeeded to the title of Duke.

First and foremost, he requested an audience with Her Majesty the Queen to offer his sincere apologies.

When Robert offered to accept a demotion in noble rank if necessary, Her Majesty granted him pardon, stating, 「There is no need to oust from office one who understands what he must do.」

However, to satisfy public opinion, the Aristoll house was placed fifth in precedence among the five ducal families.

As a result, the Macnagan house automatically rose to second in precedence, though Elly had said something utterly incomprehensible: 「I wouldn't mind if our house quietly dropped down a rank as well...」

We can't just demote a completely blameless family's standing on a whim, Elly...

Intrigued by this Robert Aristoll, I personally made contact with him.

As it turned out, unlike his younger sister, he was an exceptionally capable young man.

Holding profound respect for his grandfather, he believed in utilizing his talents for the benefit of the people and, ultimately, for the realm.

(In that case, would you be willing to lend that strength to me?)

When I said this, he showed a moment of slight surprise before fluidly dropping to one knee on the spot.

「With my life and soul. For Your Highness, and by extension for the kingdom, I shall serve to the utmost of my modest ability.」

It was a beautifully executed bow of loyalty.

(The Duchess gave you a marvelous upbringing,) I couldn't help but remark, at which he offered a slightly joyful smile.

「I... no, both my younger brother and I respect our mother every bit as much as our grandfather.」

I had acquired a valuable ally.

According to Robert, he wouldn't even mind yielding the title of Duke to his younger brother 'if push came to shove.'

...Please do not gloss over the abdication of a ducal title with an 'if push came to shove.'

Following Noel and Paul, he became my third aide.

Robert currently possessed the qualifications to graduate from Steinford, yet he remained at the academy to continue his studies.

Apparently, he wanted to reform the law.

How wonderfully dependable.

***

The circumstances behind Noel becoming my aide were slightly different from the others.

Members of the royal family are always assigned dedicated guard knights.

The number of knights designated as 'personal retainers' is six per royal family member.

These personal guard knights are selected from among the Imperial Guard.

Normally, the chief of the personal guard knights is appointed from among those who have become aides to the royal member.

The chief guard knight of my father, the current King, was a man who happened to be His Majesty's milk-brother.

The royal being guarded selects only the chief, and that chief then selects the personal guard knights who will serve under him.

Therefore, the position of 'Chief Guard Knight' must be filled by someone worthy of absolute trust.

Since my wet nurse's child was a girl, I had no interaction with her.

Well, even if the child had been a boy, there was no telling whether he would have aspired to become a knight anyway.

Because they would be protecting us throughout our entire lives, it was considered preferable for them to be close in age.

Until one's personal retainers were officially decided, guards were dispatched from the Imperial Guard.

They were individuals trained specifically to act as personal escorts.

Once someone's chief guard knight was eventually appointed, several of them would receive the title of 'personal retainer.'

Among them, there was one who frequently served as my guard.

That was Noel.

At the time, he went by Noel Simmons. He was the second son of Marquis Simmons.

The Simmons Marquisate was a renowned martial family, and the current Marquis held the position of Grand Master of the Knights Order. Having sustained an injury to his dominant arm during a bandit suppression mission in the past, he had retired from the front lines.

Unable to fight, yet possessing nothing if not his pride as a knight, he occupied a supervisory role that sat midway between a civil official and a military commander.

「The second son of Marquis Simmons, are you?」

「Yes, Your Highness.」

On the way back from training one day, I called out to Noel as he walked behind me.

「You will eventually leave your household, I presume?」

「Yes. Though I suppose I have already half-left it as it is.」

Noel had entered the knight academy at age twelve and graduated at fourteen.

Afterward, he joined the Royal Knights Order and had been living in the barracks ever since.

「How old are you now?」

When I asked, he replied, 「Sixteen, Your Highness.」

Since the age gap between Noel and me was eight years, I was eight years old at the time. It was before I had met Elly.

「Why become a guard knight?」

Graduating from the knight academy at fourteen and joining the knights—that alone was exceptionally fast.

To become an Imperial Guard and escort knight in just two short years after that meant he either possessed extraordinary aptitude or had trained that relentlessly. Whichever it was, his talent was far from ordinary.

「Because rather than wielding a sword to break and kill, I wished to wield one to protect.」

When Noel said this with a slightly embarrassed smile, I tilted my head slightly.

「To protect?」

「Yes. You may think me a coward for saying so, however.」

「No. That is not so.」

In truth, 'protecting' something was several times more difficult than 'breaking' it.

To protect rather than destroy—if one took the words at face value, there were likely those, particularly among aspiring knights, who might mock it as cowardice.

Yet how many truly understood that doing so was nowhere near as easy as it sounded?

「You aim for quite a difficult goal.」

「Indeed. It is just as you say.」

Seeing him nod with a smile, I felt he was a person of considerable promise.

The position of personal guard knight commanded respect even among knights.

There were those who sought the 'name' or the 'glory' attached to it.

However, I could never place my complete trust in that sort.

Of course not.

We were entrusting them with our very lives.

I could not leave that in the hands of people who sought honor and prestige.

Was he a bit too far removed in age to become my personal guard?

Even so, perhaps that did not matter.

While such thoughts floated through my mind without a final decision, time simply passed.

Noel was always there.

He erased his presence so thoroughly that one would forget he was even standing there.

At times, I almost caught myself thinking he ought to become a shadow operative instead, but a shadow operative's power was meant for 'killing.' That was not what Noel sought.

One day, Elly announced that she wanted to watch the knights train.

Elly possessed an exquisitely clumsy side.

Fearing for her safety, I decided to accompany her.

Upon arriving at the training grounds where the knights were practicing, a guiding knight escorted us to a spot where we could observe safely.

Knights were slashing at dummies with wooden swords.

Elly watched them while letting out nonsensical noises like, 「Hohe~...」

A boy noticed our observation.

As he came running over toward us, I let out an internal sigh.

That was the son of the First Knights Order Commander.

The Order Commander had practically tried to force him onto me, saying, 'Please feel free to make him Your Highness's sword, or even your shield,' which I had vaguely brushed off at the time.

No doubt he meant for me to eventually appoint him as my Chief Guard Knight.

「Your Highness!」

Rushing over like a dog that had spotted a ball, he dropped to his knees before me.

「Morris Sandyl, reporting for duty!」

(...I didn't call for you. What on earth am I supposed to do with this guy...?)

Elly looked at the sight with curiosity and whispered softly into my ear.

「Did you summon him?」

「...No. He just ran over here of his own accord.」

When I replied in a voice audible only to Elly, she let out an airy, 「Oh myyy~...」

Sandyl, who had barged over uninvited and dropped to his knees unprompted, raised his head and stood up entirely on his own.

Self-centered to the core.

Ordinarily, Sandyl lacked the qualifications to even enter this area. However, under the pretext of self-improvement or some such excuse, the Order Commander had apparently brought him along.

It was riding right on the razor's edge of a service regulation violation.

Since he bore no malice and there were no complaints from those around us, I was turning a blind eye for now.

「And who might this young lady be?」

When Sandyl asked, looking back and forth between Elly and me, I held up a hand to stop Elly from introducing herself.

There was no need to give him her name.

「She is my guest. What are you doing here?」

「Sir! I was training, Your Highness! In order to become the sword that will one day protect you!」

Well, he was free to hold onto his hopes.

Besides, even if they were not Imperial Guards or personal escorts, in a broader sense all knights were meant to 'protect me (the King).'

「Umm... Lord Sandyl?」

I could practically hear an unstated '...was it?' trailing after her words.

When I gave Elly a nod to reassure her that she had it right, she looked relieved.

「Lord Sandyl, do you wish to become a guard knight?」

「Yes! I shall become Your Highness's guard!」

Why did he speak as though it were already a done deal?

I had settled no such thing.

And besides, he was far too loud.

「I see... His Highness's...」

Elly was nodding thoughtfully, but I wished she wouldn't. Nothing of the sort had been decided yet.

「Lord Sandyl, what do you believe is most required to become a guard knight?」

「Strength!」

Sandyl answered without a moment's hesitation.

Like I said, he was loud.

「I see. Thank you very much for answering my rude question.」

Elly bowed deeply, and Sandyl responded with a booming, 「Not at all!」

Honestly, what had this guy actually come over here for?

「Sandyl, were you not in the middle of training?」

I asked, implicitly inquiring how long he intended to stand there, but Sandyl merely replied, 「That is correct!」 with no sign of moving.

Elly murmured an exasperated 「Oh myyy~...」 in a low voice. She was looking at him with the look one reserved for a helpless child.

(Seriously, what was I supposed to do with him...?)

While I was mulling over this, Elly gracefully stood up.

「Your Highness, we shouldn't get in the way of the knights' training, so shall we take our leave?」

「...You're right.」

I had forced Elly to show consideration. How pathetic of me.

Ending our observation much earlier than planned, we decided to spend the remaining time resting in the garden.

「He is still a child, so I suppose it cannot be helped... or something to that effect...」

Taking a sip of tea, she uttered those words alongside a soft sigh, leaving me with a dry chuckle.

「I wonder about that? For the record, he is the same age as me...」

「If you use yourself as the benchmark, Your Highness, the other children won't have a leg to stand on, will they?」

As Elly giggled, I smiled, realizing that she held me in rather high regard.

「However, he...」

Elly trailed off thoughtfully and looked all around us.

Today, as always, escort knights stood around the perimeter. Their positioning was strictly textbook.

「...will likely never be able to become a guard.」

When Elly stated this firmly, I tilted my head slightly.

「I tend to agree, but... why do you think so, Lady Elizabeth?」

When I asked, Elly smiled warmly. Prefacing her words with, 「This is merely my personal view, but...」 she continued:

「Because a guard does not place 'strength' as their highest priority.」

「Certainly, guard knights are strong. They protect royalty, so being weak would render them useless. However... I do not sense from the gentlemen stationed here the kind of 'strength' that Lord Sandyl is likely seeking.」

「And what is the 'strength' he seeks?」

「For his sort, it would be 'strength' in the sense of pure, simple martial force.」

As Elly laughed with a slight touch of exasperation, I found myself agreeing.

That was likely spot on.

Though, Sandyl likely did not even realize that other forms of 'strength' existed.

「That may be so. However, anyone who thinks 'as long as I'm strong, it's fine' or 'if I'm strong, I can protect anything' will inevitably snap somewhere along the way.」

Elly made a snapping gesture with her hands, as though breaking a small twig, accompanied by a soft sound effect.

「Snap?」

「Yes. Seeking to become stronger and stronger... I do not say that desire is bad. However, aiming solely for 'strength' makes one rigid and hard.」

「And then, they snap...」

「Yes. The harder an object is, the cleaner it snaps when it breaks, doesn't it?」

Indeed.

Someone whose mind was fixed in a single line of thought would break when that premise was shattered.

Now that she pointed it out, Sandyl certainly possessed that kind of vulnerability.

「Were you considering him as your guard, Your Highness?」

When Elly tilted her head, I honestly denied it with a, 「No.」

「If anything, I was troubled by them trying to push him onto me under that pretext.」

「I see... Indeed, he is a bit difficult to handle, isn't he?」

「Ah. And all the more so because he is not a bad person.」

Indeed. Sandyl was not a bad person. If anything, he was a straightforward boy... though his loud voice was a drawback.

Besides, could we really entrust the future protection of royalty to a boy who seemed incapable of even a sliver of political maneuvering?

Patrolling the city streets suited him far better.

「Shouldn't guard knights require not just strength but also a reasonable degree of intellectual excellence?」

「That goes without saying.」

When I nodded, Elly nodded in agreement.

「Right? In that case, wouldn't it be all the more difficult for him?」

When I asked her why, Elly chuckled ruefully.

「After all, he failed to comprehend Your Highness's command to return to training in the slightest.」

At her words, I burst into a quiet laugh despite myself.

「Indeed. I never expected my intent to be so completely lost on him.」

「It is almost refreshing, really.」

Elly nodded, letting out a soft breath alongside her rueful smile.

「Besides, he carries an undeniable scent of a musclehead about him...」

An unfamiliar word slipped from her mouth.

「Musclehead?」

「Ah, it's slang. 'Muscle for brains,' abbreviated to musclehead.」

「Well now... what a remarkably spot-on term...」

「Indeed. It is quite a convenient word.」

For the time being, I refrained from questioning how Elly knew such slang.

However, so long as my chief guard knight remained unappointed, that musclehead boy would keep striving to become my guard.

That would be annoying... no, it would do nothing for his future either.

「Lady Elizabeth, if you were to choose your own personal guard, what criteria would you use?」

The thought struck me, so I asked.

Once our marriage was finalized in the future, dedicated guards would need to be assigned to her as well.

「Me? Let's see...」

After thinking for a moment, Elly offered a bright smile.

「No matter what terrible blunder occurs, I would choose someone who would never stab me in the back.」

What an intensely harsh criterion...

While I stood somewhat taken aback, Elly smiled warmly and continued.

「Well, in short, someone trustworthy, I suppose... But in Your Highness's case, must you also consider the balance of military factions?」

「Well, to some extent, yes. Though controlling the military apparatus itself can be accomplished from another angle, so it's not a major issue.」

「Then what is the issue?」

Elly was likely asking out of pure curiosity, but to me, it felt as though I were being interrogated.

Still, I suppose that was fine.

「Age... perhaps.」

In truth, that was what had been holding me back all along.

「Age?」

「There are no strict rules, but it is generally considered best for the knight and the ward to be close in age.」

「Why?」

To Elly, who asked with a puzzled look, I explained that it was because the relationship spanned a lifetime, among other reasons. Even so, Elly tilted her head.

「Even if you say so, as knights, it wouldn't be unusual for them to become unable to hold a sword at any given moment, would it? Even if they happened to be younger than the one they protect.」

Ah, indeed.

She was entirely right.

「Why not disregard age entirely and select someone whom Your Highness truly trusts from the bottom of your heart? ...Though naturally, an elderly gentleman in his seventies or eighties might prove difficult.」

Well, naturally not that elderly.

With Elly pushing me forward, I subsequently selected Noel as my Chief Guard Knight.

Thanks to Elly, I made a wonderful choice, for which I was deeply grateful. Though if I told her that, she would undoubtedly emit another incomprehensible murmur like 「Hohe~...」 anyway.

Although he was the second son of a prestigious marquis house, Noel himself held only a knight bachelorhood (a sub-noble rank). To add prestige to his name, Marquis Simmons ceded one of his subordinate titles, Viscount, to Noel.

Currently, he was Viscount Noel Gray.

The Marquis had casually offered, 'I'll give you territory too, if you like,' but Noel laughed as he recalled declining, saying he wouldn't be able to manage it anyway.

***

Five years had passed since my engagement to Elly.

During that time, I had rarely accompanied Elly to official public appearances.

I made excuses like, 'Elly is still young and currently undergoing her education...' Well, that was a lie.

Surprisingly enough, Elly's education was almost entirely complete... though her dance lessons showed no progress whatsoever. Even now, in the middle of a step, she would sprain her ankle, step on her partner's foot, or kick them outright.

Well, that couldn't be helped. She was Elly, after all.

It was a minor issue that merely left a few faint bruises on my feet. Besides, Elly bowing frantically with a deeply pathetic look on her face was adorable, so I didn't mind the pain in the slightest.

While I asked the Ducal House to allow her to attend small tea parties, I did not have her attend major tea parties or evening galas.

I was well aware that some whispered among themselves, wondering if she was a young lady with such grave flaws that she could not be shown in public.

Others grieved and worried, wondering if she could truly become the mother of the nation in the future...

I was currently in the process of logging those people and every single word they dropped.

Those who truly worried for the nation's future were fine. Once they came to know Elly, they would be forced into silence.

As for the rest—those who pretended to worry while seeking to satisfy their own selfish desires—I intended to spend a long time quietly escorting them off the political stage.

I could not bear the thought of easily replaceable cogs becoming shackles upon the irreplaceable Elly.

Apparently, rumors of a 'rocky relationship' between Elly and me were also circulating.

When I heard the report, it was so utterly ridiculous I couldn't even laugh.

There were simply those who wished for us to be on bad terms.

Individuals who looked down on me, on Elly, and on the royal family were being smoked out into the open.

Leonard Ernest, the son of Marquis Ernest, belonged to that category.

Marquis Ernest himself presented no particular issues. He occupied the position of Minister of Internal Affairs and showed no signs of corruption... though it wasn't as if he was particularly capable, either.

Leonard was the second son and had an older brother who was exceptionally brilliant.

The brother had already graduated from Steinford and was currently working in the Ministry of Internal Affairs at age eighteen. Though he was merely a low-ranking official at the moment, he would likely be promoted by next spring.

Having grown up compared to his brother, his personality was quite warped.

He had an extraordinarily strong desire for approval; praise made him cocky, while pointing out mistakes caused him to sulk—a thoroughly difficult boy to manage.

...How could anyone expect me to make someone like him my right-hand man?

If they were going to offer a son, I would have preferred they hand over the elder brother.

When Robert teased me with, (Isn't mastering someone like that the true test of leadership?), I told him, (Then why don't you try managing him yourself?) which shut him up immediately.

One should not push onto others what one cannot (or does not want to) do oneself.

When I added, (Besides, if I make that fellow my aide, you two will have to face him almost every single day, you know?), not only Robert but Paul as well went quiet with repulsed looks.

Leonard's unconscious, unaware contempt for those around him was exhausting to even be near.

However, at present, I lacked a grand justification to send him back to the Marquis.

Because the work assigned to him was so absurdly simple, he hadn't made any notable mistakes. On the other hand, if you asked whether I should assign him important tasks, I could not entrust them to someone I didn't trust.

Now, what to do... while pondering this, the thought occurred to me: perhaps I should let Elly handle it.

Ever since her examination for Steinford was set, Elly had been frequenting the library whenever she had free time. She was apparently searching for a paper topic.

If it were merely an academic paper on a topic she liked, Elly could write any number of them. However, the entrance examination paper's theme was 'What I Want to Learn.'

That was practically synonymous with asking what Elly wished to accomplish once she became Queen.

I was immensely looking forward to seeing what she would write and what vision of the future she painted.

Because she frequented the library for that reason, I decided to set Leonard against Elly.

Since Leonard had a tendency to naturally look down on others, as a precaution, I lent Noel to Elly as a guard.

He was my Chief Guard Knight. Having him stand by her side was proof that she was under my personal protection.

Now, what would Leonard do, I wonder?

They say waiting is half the fun of fishing, but mere three days after setting the bait, the result arrived. He bit so eagerly that I was more dumbfounded than entertained.

While quick results were good, wasn't this a bit too fast?

Truly, that boy named Leonard seemed incapable of being satisfied unless he was snapping at someone. Elly would likely say: 'He must be suffering from a disease where he dies if he doesn't bite someone.'

I summoned Leonard after his blunder, explained to him exactly what he had messed up, and informed him that he was being removed from the candidate list for aides.

Throughout it all, he kept his head bowed, his face completely drained of color.

Now then, I had finished disposing of the pests labeled 'aide candidates' that had been forced upon me by those around me.

Welcoming my cousin, Hendrick, son of Marquis Orchard, as my fourth aide brought the matter to a close.

...In truth, I had considered Elly's older brother, Elrick Macnagan, as the fourth candidate. When I sounded him out, he rejected it at terrifying speed. The Macnagan Ducal House was truly beyond comprehension.

Regarding Elrick's refusal, Elly later offered an apology.

According to her: 'He said, "To serve anyone other than my sister is unthinkable..." ...I am so sorry. My brother's mind is completely rotten. He is a bit of a massive pervert.'

A 'bit of a massive pervert'... what on earth did that even mean? It was quite impressive how a single phrase managed to contradict itself.

Even the Duke told me, 'That boy is a sister-supremacist and an irredeemable fool... The fact that his abilities alone are extraordinarily high makes it all the more helpless...'

The mystery surrounding the Macnagan Ducal House only continued to deepen.

At any rate, my surroundings were now one step clearer.

In an immensely refreshed mood, I made my way toward my tea party with Elly.

*****

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